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I went to Park Bruges in Highland Park for dinner tonight. First of all, I love going to the Highland Park area. There are so many pretty old homes there. They are all in different states, some have been restored and others are still in a state of neglect, but overall, it’s a very pretty area. And there are lots of really good restaurants there. There is a Thai place that I like and E2 is there, which is really one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh and it’s super tiny and cute and run by hipsters. I love it.

Anyway, on the Park Bruges, which is a french bistro style restaurant. It has a sister restaurant called Point Brugge Cafe in Point Breeze also. My friend Jen and I had been trying to get here for a few months. We tried one night, but the wait was horribly long for some reason so we ended up eating at E2 that night. So I was really excited to try it.

I started with a beer, and being October I ordered a pumpkin beer. I got the Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale. It wasn’t too heavy on the pumpkin with a very subtle cinnamon and nutmeg flavor and a bit of a hoppy taste to it. I’m rather sensitive to hops though, so for some of you, it may not seem very hoppy. I really did enjoy it.

We’d talked about their frites so many times that I couldn’t wait to try them. We ordered the Poutine in the Montreal style, which came with Amish cheese curds and gravy. Seriously, yum. The fries were thin and crispy and they weren’t too heavy handed with the gravy. Which was perfect. Sometimes you get fries with gravy and you can barely taste the fries. These were done very well and Jen and I enjoyed every last bite.

For entree’s Jen opted for the Gemelli Pasta with peas, artichokes, asparagus, arugula and lemon herb ricotta. She also got tofu with it. It was very fresh and they put nutmeg in it. Which was surprising and really tasty at the same time. I had a bite and really liked it. Jen’s only complaint was that the tofu was an afterthought and wasn’t really tossed with the dish but rather just placed on it. I get that it’s an option, but I think it would have been better if it had been incorporated differently. And the bread was so good. I love a good, crusty piece of french bread. Especially since I’ve been eating sprouted wheat bread at home lately.

I really debated about what I should order. I really wanted the PEI mussels when I arrived, but there was also this scallop dish that sounded good. I asked our server what she’d suggest and she said that they’d always have the mussels but the scallops wouldn’t be there forever. So, I went with the scallops with an Israeli couscous salad with roasted eggplant & tomatoes, harissa, tahini-yogurt and roasted cauliflower. I cleared my plate, it was really good. The scallops were cooked perfectly, just seared. The harissa was interesting. It was very spicy to me and I have a decent tolerance for heat. I only needed the tiniest bit with each bite. I was laughing though, my friend Bhavini would have mixed all of it into the dish and probably asked for more! I liked the balance of it though with the cool yogurt sauce. It was an interesting little dance in my mouth. That sounds dirtier than intended. Get your minds out of the gutter.

Lastly, and forgive me, I forgot to take a photo, we ordered dessert. You know, I kept forgetting to take pictures all night. Jen had to keep reminding me and I still forgot to take a picture of dessert. They don’t post desert options on the website or the menu for that matter. I assume this means that they change often. We ordered a chocolate soufle with a salted caramel cream filling. WOW. It was so good. I mean, salted caramel anything really. The soufle part was very light as was the filling. It was the perfect end to a great meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal and the atmosphere. The staff was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. The location is very cute and the inside is simple and understated. I said French Bistro style earlier, right? This is definitely someplace that I would visit again!